To be so annoyed at potato sizes

[Blinkingheckythump]

I am so sick of tiny little potatoes that mean I need to peel double the amount of them, I know they never used to be so small. Even "baking" potatoes are just standard sized these days. Why oh why don't they grow regular sized potatoes anymore?! Some are literally smaller than "new" potatoes. Is there some kind of tiny potato conspiracy going on? Aibu to just want decent sized potatoes?! It's so frustrating I'm actually considering just giving up and making smash 😂

My husband works in the spud industry.

Apparently a survey they did found the consumer didn't want big bakers anymore so supermarket suppliers remove them for animal feed or processing now.

If you want big spuds, like i do, u need a farm shop or to buy a sack from a farmer.

I buy jacket potatoes and Waitrose do a bag of extra large ones.

Ohhh I’ve been thinking this. I’ll have to find a farm shop, the baking potatoes in the supermarkets are tiny like apples.

Which fools acted on this survey? I want big bakers!

You know that Elvis Costello song "a good year for the roses"? Well 2021 was "a bad year for the tatties".

Don't despair though - as pps have noted, you have options: moving them closer to your face in some kind of father Tedesque confusion of small and far away; eating them anyway (complete with rancid skins of boak); or my personal favourite, walking past them in the shop while giving them the middle finger and saying "I wouldn't eat you if you roast in goose fat"

I want big spuds and I cannot lie…

YABU for peeling potatoes at all! Skins are nutritious and added fibre.

@Justwingingit2005

My husband works in the spud industry.

Apparently a survey they did found the consumer didn't want big bakers anymore so supermarket suppliers remove them for animal feed or processing now.

If you want big spuds, like i do, u need a farm shop or to buy a sack from a farmer.

Who TF wanted less potato for their money? *ok I know that’s not how it works but come on…

Am I the only MNer who hadn't noticed this?

Also, my mum would definitely have told me if she had potato problems 😂.

I agree it's like a potato famine. They have Shrunk considerably

Agree! Rarely get one big enough in a normal bag to have a jacket potato now, always used to.

I agree. Irritatingly small normal potatoes, irritatingly small baking potatoes.

@neverknowinglyunreasonable

I agree. I've got around this by moving the potatoes closer to my face so they appear bigger.

You made me giggle after a stressful day - thank you

YANBU, OP. I ordered 4 baking potatoes in my online shopping and they were just normal potatoes. I weighed one just now 160g. Or just over 5oz in old money.

The bags of potatoes are pretty poor. The best I’ve found for size are the red ones and King Edwards or Maris Piper. Check those - they won’t all be good, but usually one of them is ok.

Or take the advice I quoted above and hold them a centimetre from your eyeball. They’ll be the size of a small planet then.

Thinking hard about 25kg bags of potatoes being delivered by a Lincolnshire farmer ! What a thought ! Why is my life so dull and uneventful on the potato front ?

We sell potatoes and can't say I've noticed really, we specify the size with our supplier and that's what they deliver

@neverknowinglyunreasonable

I agree. I've got around this by moving the potatoes closer to my face so they appear bigger.

Love this. Gave it a go but I almost poked myself in the eye with the knife

@Caughtavibe

I think it’s more a case of us getting used to giant sized baking potatoes and thinking regular baking potatoes are small tbh.

I mean a potato smaller than an egg does not a baking potato make in anyone's eyes I'm certain

All of you suggesting to make mash with skins on are heathens and shouldn't even be allowed to eat mash!

So glad to see so many people chipping in on this important topic.

We've all lost sight of what a healthy body potato size should be.

I'm a chef and we have had some absolute whoppers at work. Size of your head whoppers. Sorry bout me, I seem to have them all.

@DobbyTheHouseElk

You need “proper” potatoes in a sack. The ones with the soil still on. They are whoppers. Usually found in a sack at the butchers or farm shop. You need to wash the soil off, but they keep better in a sack.

I wish I had the space to store them. Mind you they would root before I could eat them all even if I did

I rummage through the crate of loose baking potatoes searching out the smaller ones.

Can't say I've noticed. I buy different varieties depending on what I'm using them for

@Taswama

So glad to see so many people chipping in on this important topic.

Seems to be a mash up of people who are finding large ones and people who are struggling.

@Justwingingit2005

My husband works in the spud industry.

Apparently a survey they did found the consumer didn't want big bakers anymore so supermarket suppliers remove them for animal feed or processing now.

If you want big spuds, like i do, u need a farm shop or to buy a sack from a farmer.

What?! Why wouldn't you want bigger spuds